1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable support system for a rear view mirror for a cycle, and more particularly, to a rear view mirror system which is designed to be mounted on, or be a part of, a brake lever bracket assembly, which brake assembly is mounted on the handlebar of a bicycle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been recognized that it is desirable to provide a rear view mirror upon land vehicles, including cycles such as bicycles, motorcycles, and the like. The provision of a rear view mirror on a cycle or other vehicle provides the operator with the ability to be aware of conditions behind the direction of travel of his or her vehicle, without the requirement for substantial head or eye movement which could distract his or her attention from the path ahead. This ability to keep one's attention focused ahead and to minimize head motion is especially important to users of relatively small, light two-wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles, which must be balanced by the rider while simultaneously avoiding impact with potentially upsetting obstacles in the path of the cycle's movement. In the past, cycle rear view mirrors have most commonly been mounted upon supports directly on the handlebar of a cycle, thus making a portion of the handlebar unavailale for use by a rider. Complete use and availability of all portions of the handlebar is particularly important for cycles with drop style handlebars. Other mounting locations, including the crossbars, the diagonal bars, the handlebar mounting head, the end of the handlebar, or on the rider, for example, attached to a special eyeglass frame, helmet or wrist mounting assembly have been disclosed. With but a few exceptions, such locations for a mirror have limited the field of rear view, since the body of the rider or the cycle have substantially obstructed a portion of the field of rear view. In one instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,375, discloses a mirror which may be attached to a user's wrist or to the brake lever assembly of a cycle. Unfortunately, when mounted on the brake lever assembly, it interferes with the placement of a rider's hand on the brake lever bracket assembly.
In order for a cycle rear view mirror to be mounted effectively, it should be supported in such a manner and by such means that it can be adjusted to almost any direction of rear view and then retained in that position with a substantial amount of stability. Yet, due to the generally fragile nature of the mirror structure itself, it should be constructed in a manner which provides a reasonable amount of protection to the mirror against breakage, for example, upon the impact of the cycle with an obstruction or the ground.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved support system for a cycle rear view mirror, which support system provides controllable, stable, substantially universal orientation to a mirror while including means for non-interfering attachment of the mirror support to a brake lever bracket assembly, which brake lever assembly is in turn, mounted on the cycle handlebar. Thus, the mirror would be located by its support to provide a substantially unobstructed rear view, and yet no additional portion of the handlebar or brake lever assembly would be rendered unavailable for use due to the location of the mirror support.
It is also an object to provide mirror support systems which include means for attachment to or integration with various types of brake lever bracket systems.
Another object is to provide such a mirror support system which is located and designed to resist or avoid breakage to a mirror mounted on the support system.
Still another object is to provide novel methods for assembling and adjusting rear view mirror support systems on, or integral with, a brake lever bracket assembly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a rear view mirror support system which can be attached to a cycle without limiting or restricting the use of the cycle's handlebars or brake lever bracket assembly, and to teach methods for attaching such support systems.
An additional object of this invention is to provide a cycle rear view mirror support system which protrudes beyond or outside of the cycle's structure a minimal distance, and which tends to rotate out of the way, thus, resisting breakage, upon being subjected to impact with an obstruction or with the ground.